Product Description

Every Sunday morning people all over the world look up at a screen, open a hymnal, or simply take a breath ... and sing. Why? Are people just participating in the service or is there something more behind church music? With One Voice examines the theology of song in worship and looks at how music is used to relate to God. Whatever the style, song has the power to bring believers into the company of the Savior himself and allows them to participate in the very redemption of all creation. Between these pages, worship leaders, church musicians, and all churchgoers will discover not just the history of song in worship but why believers continue to sing in worship today. Paperback, 224 pages.

Publisher's Description

Every Sunday morning people all over the word look up at a screen, open a hymnal, or simply take a breath . . . and sing. Why? Are people just participating in the service or is there something more behind church music?

With One Voice examines the theology of song in worship and looks at how music is used to relate to God. Whatever the style, song has the power to bring believers into the company of the Savior himself and allows them to participate in the very redemption of all creation. Between these pages, worship leaders, church musicians, and all churchgoers will discover not just the history of song in worship, but why believers continue to sing in worship today.

Author Bio

Reggie Kidd (Ph.D., Duke University) is professor of New Testament and dean of the chapel at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. He also is the worship director at Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Maitland, Florida, and serves as a faculty member for the Institute of Worship Studies.

We sing for Jesus. We sing to Jesus. What I particularly appreciate about "With One Voice" is Kidds rich examination of what it means to sing with Jesus. In this book Reggie Kidd gives us a window into the kind of worship in which we all participate, whether our song is, as he says, more reminiscent of Bachelegant and refined, Bubbasimple and anonymous or the Blues Brotherspassionate and on a mission. But this book is no mere come together for Jesus sake reflection. "With One Voice" is not advocating a unity from below where we try really hard to appreciate music in the church that we dont particularly like for the sake of the Kingdom, of course. Rather, Kidd takes us deeply into Psalm 22, and helps us to hear Jesus voice as He has sung and is singing all of our songswhether refined or raw, controlled or full of passion. In worship we all join Jesus as He sings. At another level, I found this book to be an expression of the very reality Kidd is writing about. For Kidd himself has several voices that all sing with Jesus. The theologian sings with his mind, the artist sings with illustrations from music, art and literature, and the man sings with honest moments from his own journey. They blend together beautifully, and for me there were moments when, even while reading, I began to hear that other voice.This is not just a book for worship leaders. It is a book for worshippers.

Kidd writes from a rich inner landscape of worship about his experiences as a worship leader and worshipper in several different contexts. His anecdotes and examples are intimate and personal, his treatment of the Scriptural passages is engaging and accessible, and his love for his Savior is evident throughout. People who are interested in thoughtful worship, whether from the leadership point of view or that of the person in the pew, will find much in this book to enrich their minds and hearts.Of particular interest are his descriptions and discussion of the various musical types or styles that are in use in worship services. Classical (Bach), folk (Bubba) and whatever is culturally current (The Blues Brothers) are his categories, and these are doubtless familiar to anyone who has experienced worship in a diverse setting. Kidds reflections on the place for each of these sorts of music and the importance of recognizing all of them in the Voice of the Singing Savior are compelling as we consider our own church environment of worship. Following the lead of the Lead Singer, Jesus, is the most important thing and our Lead Singer sings in many ways. I found this book moving, enlightening (the discussion of Psalm 22 in relation to worship was particularly so) and engaging in a way that many books about worship are not. I worshipped as I read this book, I did not merely read about worship.

Author/Artist Review

Tell us a little about yourself. I'm the father of 3 teenage sons ... one an
upright and an electric bass player, one a
baseball player, and one a wielder of a samurai sword. And, of course, I'm the husband of one terrific wife! I teach New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary's Orlando campus, where I'm
basically the "Paul guy." Now that this book is done, I hope to do more writing about the apostle. I also am Pastor of Worship at Orangewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), here in Maitland, FL ... and I absolutely love waking up Sunday mornings to sing God's praises with his people (with a terrific team of musicians!).

What was your motivation behind this project? It simply seemed to me that for all the
attention we give in the church to the mechanics of praise - where are we on the scale of "traditional" to "contemporary"? are we too loud, too soft? are we pursuing "excellence" enough? - the great WHY of the thing is seldom understood. After years and years of leading
worship, I thought it was important to try to explaining the theology of the whole thing. How does the Bible's story line make so much more sense because song is at the heart of it? And how do we worship the God of the Bible by honoring His voice in one another's?

What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope this project will help folks better
understand an under-appreciated side of Jesus, and therefore love him more. I believe we only have a partial Savior if we do not know him as a Singing Savior. For too many of us, Jesus is just a legal sharpie who figured a way to get us
out of our problem with God's Law. For others, he's a heavenly grump, come to whip us into shape for heaven. In reality, Jesus came to rescue us from sin and death so he could include us in his own joyful, eternal communion with his Heavenly Father. That's why we need to imagine him as a Singing Savior, the way the writer of Hebrews 2:12 does: singing praises "in the assembly" (that is, in the church) to the Father. I hope folks will value more highly their place in his choir.

Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Well, I write a lot about music in this book, so it's only fair to let you know that my musical influences range from Bach to U2, with a little Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary in between. No writer makes the Christian worldview more imaginable to me than C.S. Lewis ... but J.R.R
Tolkein, G.K. Chesterton, and Charles Williams are close behind. No theologian has shaped me more than John Frame (now my colleague at Reformed Theological Seminary/Orlando) ... a close second is Richard Gaffin at Westminster/Phila.

Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: That's about it ... except to thank
Christianbook.com for allowing authors and
artists to tell their story! Oh, and check the website www.reggiekidd.com for features and thoughts related to the book, and please drop me a line if you want to let me know how you like the book: mailto:reggie@reggiekidd.com.